External connector and sensor unit for welding equipment

ABSTRACT

A connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus, including a first port configured to be connected to a first welding cable of the welding apparatus, a second port configured to be connected to a second welding cable of the welding apparatus, current sensor circuitry configured to sense a current being supplied by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding current sense signal, voltage sensing circuitry configured to sense a voltage between the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding voltage sense signal, and supply power circuitry configured to generate a predetermined voltage for at least the current sensor circuitry, wherein the supply power circuitry receives power from the first welding cable and the second welding cable via at least one inductor.

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.62/560,807, filed Sep. 20, 2017, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments described herein are related to a multifunction orcombination connector and sensor unit, methods of powering the connectorand sensor unit from welding voltages, and communicating parametersdetected thereby to a communications unit.

BACKGROUND

A power supply is a basic part of a welding apparatus in that it isconfigured to supply the necessary electric arc that is critical towelding. Depending on the method of electric welding, the power supplymay deliver electric power according to different parameters. An outputvoltage of a welding power supply is set to levels defined by the needsof the welding method selected, safety requirements and an effectivenessof the apparatus. As a rule, a maximum voltage output by the powersupply is far too low to cause electric breakdown from a workingelectrode to a workpiece at usual operating distances. Therefore, thestart of welding operation may commence in a “contact” manner. That is,the welding is initiated upon direct contact of a working electrode andthe workpiece. After an activation of the power supply, when a certaincurrent flows out of the power supply, an arc is ignited between theelectrode and the workpiece. Alternatively to the contact method,welding may begin without contact between the electrode and theworkpiece. In this alternative case, the welding apparatus comprises anauxiliary device, which, for a short time, delivers a high frequencyincreased voltage sufficient to cause electric breakdown between theelectrode and the workpiece and thus start the electric arc and thewelding process.

In view of the different possible states of the welding process, it isoften desirable to monitor and track various parameters such as voltage,current, and/or any number of other welding or associated parameters.

BRIEF SUMMARY

A connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus in described hereinand includes a first port configured to be connected to a first weldingcable of the welding apparatus, a second port configured to be connectedto a second welding cable of the welding apparatus, current sensorcircuitry configured to sense a current being supplied by the firstwelding cable and the second welding cable, and to output acorresponding current sense signal, voltage sensing circuitry configuredto sense a voltage between the first welding cable and the secondwelding cable, and to output a corresponding voltage sense signal, andsupply power circuitry configured to generate a predetermined voltagefor at least the current sensor circuitry, wherein the supply powercircuitry receives power from at least one of the first welding cableand the second welding cable and via at least one inductor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A depicts a block diagram of an arrangement for a weldingapparatus, including a connector and sensor unit, and loopbackconnection, in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 1B depicts a block diagram of an arrangement for a weldingapparatus, including a connector and sensor unit, without a loopbackconnection, in accordance with an example embodiment

FIG. 2A depicts a perspective drawing of a connector and sensor unit inaccordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 2B depicts a perspective drawing of a connector and sensor unitthrough which the welding cables pass in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 3 depicts a more detailed arrangement for a welding apparatusincluding a connector and sensor unit in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of circuitry that may be deployed in theconnector and sensor unit in accordance with an example embodiment.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of plurality of operations that may beperformed by the connector and sensor unit in accordance with an exampleembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of an arrangement for a weldingapparatus, including a connector and sensor unit 200, and a loopbackconnection, in accordance with an example embodiment. As shown in thefigure, mains power supply 105 supplies electric power to welding powersource 110. Welding power source 110 may also be referred to herein as awelding “power supply” 110. Power supply 110 provides connections fortwo cables or leads 111 and 112, respectively providing plus and minuswelding voltages. These cables may also be referred to herein as “first”and “second” welding cables, and the “first” welding cable may be theplus welding voltage cable or the minus voltage welding cable, and the“second” welding cable would then be the other of the plus or minusvoltage welding cable. For ease of description, the “plus” and “minus”voltage cable or lead terminology is employed herein, but those skilledin the art will appreciate that such terminology should not beconsidered to limit the scope of the invention. For example, therespective welding cables may deliver AC welding power and, as such,“plus” and “minus” designations may not have any particular relevance.The plus voltage cable 111 may be connected to a welding torch 115. Theminus voltage cable 112 may be connected to a workpiece 117 via aconnector and sensor unit 200, which, at a high level, provides selectedpower supply sensing functions and connectivity to a communications unit300, via cable 205, that enables wireless communication with, e.g., amobile device 120 and/or a remote or cloud server 150. In the embodimentof FIG. 1A, loopback connection 350 (discussed later herein) provides aplus voltage signal to connector and sensor unit 200 such that plusvoltage cable 111 does not itself need to pass through connector andsensor unit 200.

In an alternative embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1B, loopback connection350 is eliminated, and plus voltage cable passes through connector andsensor unit 200B.

In an embodiment, connector and sensor unit 200 derives power from plusand minus leads 111, 112 of welding power supply 110. That is, onefunction of the connector and sensor unit 200 is to provide a steady,e.g., 5 volt DC, supply of power to power circuitry within the connectorand sensor unit 200, and to power, at least, circuitry withincommunications unit 300 so that, together, the connector and sensor unit200 and communications unit 300 can perform measurement, calculation,storage, compilation and/or communication functions. An issue withobtaining power from the welding cables 111, 112, however, is that avoltage between those cables may be on the order of 5-120 volts andthere might also be, periodically, high frequency (HF) and high voltage(HV) signals that are used for arc ignition. In bleeding power away fromwelding cables 111, 112, it is important not to disrupt or otherwisedistort the voltage signals on welding cables 111, 112 as suchdistortion may detrimentally impact the ability of the welding apparatusto achieve the desired welding functionality (e.g., arc ignition).

As will be explained further below, connector and sensor unit 200 may beconnected to welding cables 111, 112 via inductors (operating as RFchokes) to ensure that, e.g., HF high voltage signals that might bepresent on the leads 111, 112, and that are meant to be applied at thetorch worksite, are not problematically impacted.

In an embodiment, connector and sensor unit 200 senses or monitorsseveral parameters regarding the state of welding power supply 110 (aswell as other possible parameters) and, via link 205, passes signalsindicative of the sensed states to communications unit 300. The signalsmay be provided in analog or in digital and/or packetized form.Communications unit 300 may then (digitize/packetize and) share thatinformation with applications running on mobile device 120 and/or cloudserver 150. Communications unit 300 may communicate with mobile device120 and/or cloud server 150 via well-known short range wirelesscommunication protocols such as Bluetooth™ or wireless fidelity (WiFi),or well-known cellular communication standards.

In an embodiment, connector and sensor unit 200 is provided with anInternet Protocol (IP) address that is associated with cloud server 150.The IP address may be supplied by a user, via, e.g., mobile device 120,to communications unit 300. Data collected by connector and sensor unit200 and supplied to communications unit 300 may then be transmitted tocloud server 150, via an internet connection, for storage and analysis.The amount of data stored with respect to each weld may be dependent onhow much information is entered by a user, and a number of sensorsattached to, or are provided within, the connector and sensor unit 200.A welding time may also influence the amount of data created and stored.In one implementation, after each weld (or during a given weldingoperation), measured values (e.g., one or more values per second)together with entered information provided prior to welding (e.g.,entered via mobile device 120) is automatically sent to the cloud server150.

In an embodiment, each connector and sensor unit 200 has a uniqueidentification number and/or serial number (that it is selected, e.g.,at manufacturing). That identification information may be sent alongwith any data to ensure that data associated with a given weldingmachine or user is kept together. An application on mobile device 120may be configured to receive still other user inputted information thatcan be bundled together with measured data for each weld and stored inthe cloud server 150. Examples of such other information include weldingequipment, power source, wire feeder type, welder, work object orworkpiece, type of weld joint, and weld seam in a multi-seam weld joint,among other possible information. Cloud server 150 may respond back tomobile device directly, or via communications unit 300, with, e.g., worktips, or other feedback regarding welding, maintenance, etc.

FIG. 2A depicts a perspective drawing of the connector and sensor unit200 in accordance with an example embodiment. In FIG. 2A, connector andsensor unit 200 may comprise a metal or hard plastic enclosure 201 thatis configured to withstand typical welding shop environment handling.Connector and sensor unit 200 includes several ports through which, andfrom which, electrical (analog or digital) signals can pass. Referencemay also be made to FIG. 3, which depicts a more detailed arrangementfor a welding apparatus in accordance with an example embodimentincluding connector and sensor unit 200.

In the depicted embodiment of FIG. 2A, which should not be construed aslimiting, towards the upper left side of the figure there are two ports(not visible in FIG. 2A, but visible in FIG. 3). One port receives theplus power supply welding voltage from the power supply 110 via loopbackconnection 350, and the other port is arranged with a coupler to outputthe minus supply voltage 112 that is to be connected to a workpiece.

The visible ports in FIG. 2A towards the right hand side of the drawinginclude a port to receive the minus supply welding voltage 112 from thepower supply 110, a port 220 to receive a wire feeder encode signal, anda port 230 to output several signals to the communications unit 300.Port 230 may be a multi-pin port to accommodate multiple differentsignals and a power supply.

FIG. 2B depicts a perspective drawing of a connector and sensor unit200B through which the welding cables 111, 112 pass in accordance withan example embodiment. FIG. 2B is consistent with FIG. 1B where loopbackconnection 350 is eliminated.

The description hereafter focuses primarily on the embodiments depictedin FIGS. 1A and 2A, i.e., the embodiments including loopback connection350. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the featuresdescribed hereinafter may be equally applicable to the embodimentsdepicted in FIGS. 1B and 2B.

As noted, FIG. 3 depicts a more detailed arrangement for a weldingapparatus in accordance with an example embodiment. FIG. 3 shows,practically, how the connector and sensor unit 200 is connected to thepower supply 110 and communications unit 300. It is noted that FIG. 3depicts an arrangement for a MIG (metal inert gas) welding process, butthe embodiments described herein are applicable to other weldingprocesses as well, including, but not limited to, TIG (tungsten inertgas) welding, and stick welding processes. As shown, connector andsensor unit 200 is configured to receive power supply 110 minus voltagecable 112 and pass the minus voltage signal to an output port. As isseen in FIG. 4, in accordance with one possible implementation, minusvoltage cable 112 is used to sense the amount of current being drawn orsupplied by power supply 110. Connector and sensor unit 200 alsoreceives the plus voltage from the power supply 110 via a loopback cable350 connected to plus voltage cable 111. In the embodiment in which plusvoltage cable 111 passes through the connector and sensor unit 200B,plus voltage cable 111 could alternatively be used to sense the amountof current being drawn or supplied by power supply 110.

A wire feeder 355 is also shown in FIG. 3. In accordance with oneembodiment, a separate wire feeder encoder 365 is provided and throughwhich welding wire is passed to monitor, e.g., wire speed or wire amountused. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, cable 360 supplies a wirefeeder encoder signal from the wire feeder encoder 365 to the wirefeeder encode signal port 220 of connector and sensor unit 200. Cable360 may also supply power to the wire feeder encoder 365 that isgenerated within connector and sensor unit 200.

Finally, cable 205 is used to connect output port 230 on connector andsensor unit 200 and communications unit 300. Cable 205 is used to carrysignals indicative of one more states of parameters related to the powersupply 110, among other possible signals, and to provide power tocommunications unit 300. In an embodiment, communications unit 300 ismounted on power supply 110 via magnets, hook and loop tape or a strap.Since the communications unit 300 includes a radio transmitter/receiver,it is advantageous to position the communications unit 300 as high aspracticable. In an embodiment, communications unit 300 includes arechargeable battery or charge capacitor (not shown), which is rechargedby power supplied by connector and sensor unit 200. Such a battery orcharge capacitor (power storage device) enables the communications unit300 to operate, at least for a period of time, even when no power issupplied from power supply 110.

Also shown in FIG. 3 are a gas bottle 320 that feeds appropriate gas totorch 115 and wire 310 that is being fed from wire feeder 355. Stillalso shown in FIG. 3 are mobile device 120 and cloud server 150. In oneembodiment, communications unit 300 communicates received informationfrom connector and sensor unit 200 to mobile device 120 via, e.g.,Bluetooth, and/or to cloud server 150 via WiFi (or mobile telephonyprotocols).

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of circuitry that may be deployed in theconnector and sensor unit 200 in accordance with an example embodiment.As shown, connector and sensor unit 200 includes three inputs and twooutputs, in the example embodiment. The inputs include ports for theplus and minus welding voltages via cable 112 and loopback 350, and wirefeeder encoder signal via cable 360 and port 220. The outputs includethe minus welding voltage 112 and a plurality of signals available atport 230. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that more or fewerports may be provided in connector and sensor unit 200. Also, forsimplicity, only one signal wire is shown being output for each of theseveral components 410, 412, 414, 416 described below, but those skilledin the art will appreciate that each output might also include acorresponding ground signal, or might include still other associatedwires/signals.

Circuitry that generates the plurality of signals available at port 230is described below. Current sensor circuitry 410 is provided to sense anamount of current flowing through welding cables 111, 112 by using acurrent sensor 411 that encircles, e.g., minus welding voltage cable 112(or, possibly, the plus welding voltage cable 111 in the non-loopbackconnection embodiment). A signal from current sensor 411 is supplied tocurrent sensor circuitry 410 which outputs a corresponding current sensesignal 450, which may be a voltage signal indicative of the amount ofcurrent flowing in the cable 112.

Wire feeder encoder signal conditioning circuitry 412 receives the wirefeeder encoder signal and applies appropriate normalization, or voltageconditioning, and outputs a corresponding conditioned wire feederencoder signal 452. Wire feeder encoder signal conditioning circuitry412 may, for example, include optical isolation circuitry to isolate theinput and output thereof.

Voltage sensing circuitry 414 senses the voltage between plus and minuswelding cables 111, 112 and outputs a corresponding voltage sense signal454.

Supply power circuitry 416 receives power from the plus and minuswelding voltages 111 (350), 112 and converts the same to, e.g., a 5 voltDC voltage. That DC voltage is used within connector and sensor unit 200(i.e., the voltage provides power to, e.g., current sensor circuitry410, wire feeder encoder signal conditioning circuitry 412, and/orvoltage sensing circuitry 414) and is also output as power supplyvoltage 456 that is supplied to communications unit 300 so thatcommunications unit 300 has the necessary power to operate. Power supplyvoltage 456 may also be supplied to cable 360 to power wire feederencoder 365. By generating and supplying power from the weldingvoltages, power is available within connector and sensor unit 200 andcan be made available to the wire feeder encoder 365, and thecommunications unit 300 to recharge a battery therein.

In one embodiment, signals 450, 452, 454 and voltage supply 456 areprovided directly to communications unit 300, without furtherprocessing, e.g., in an analog format.

In another embodiment, processor 401 and memory 402 may also be providedand used to, e.g., generate, and/or process, e.g., signal 450, 452,and/or 454 prior to transmitting the same to communications unit 300.More specifically, memory 402 may be used to store logic instructions(e.g., software or firmware) that, when executed by processor 401,enable any of the circuitry shown in the connector and sensor unit 200to be configured or operated. The software or firmware (or adequatehardware circuits) can also be used to analog-to-digital convert, bundleand/or packetize one or more of the several signals, generated byconnector and sensor unit 200, with, e.g., identification information ofthe connector and sensor unit 200. Resulting bundles of data or packetsmay then be passed to communications unit 300 via port 230. In oneembodiment, connector and sensor unit 200 may include a user interface,e.g., a display (not shown), and processor 401 and memory 402 mayexecute/store instructions that enable the user interface to provideinformation to a user, e.g., voltage, current, and/or wire feederparameter values. In the embodiments depicted now such user interface isshown. In general, connector and sensor unit 200 may perform noprocessing using a processor, or may perform processing using aprocessor such as processor 401.

Analog-to-digital converting, bundling and packetizing may also beperformed partly or fully in communications unit 300, which preferablyhas its own processor and memory (not shown).

In one possible embodiment, connector and sensor unit 200 andcommunications unit 300 are integrated into a single physical unit.However, separation of the connector and sensor unit 200 andcommunications unit 300 from each other, i.e., separate and apart fromeach other as is depicted herein, may be more desirable in order toavoid radio frequency (RF) interference to the communications unit 300caused by the possibly noisy high voltage and current passing throughthe connector and sensor unit 200, and also in order to enable thecommunications unit 300 to be positioned as high as possible to improvewireless connectivity.

In still another embodiment, gas usage rate, or gas volume data can alsobe provided to communications unit 300 via connector and sensor unit200, or directly through other (wireless or wired) means. Such data canalso be supplied to cloud server 150.

In an embodiment, processor 401 (or a processor in communications unit300) may be a simple programmable logic device (SPLD), complexprogrammable logic device (CPLD), field programmable gate array (FPGA),microprocessor, or application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) thatis configured to execute the logic instructions stored in memory 402.

Memory 402 (or a memory in communications unit 300) may be implementedas non-transitory computer readable media such as random access memory(RAM) or other dynamic storage device (e.g., dynamic RAM (DRAM), staticRAM (SRAM), and synchronous DRAM (SD RAM)), read only memory (ROM) orother static storage device (e.g., programmable ROM (PROM), erasablePROM (EPROM), and electrically erasable PROM (EEPROM)).

As further shown in FIG. 4, supply power circuitry 416 may be fed powervia two inductors L1 and L2, respectively connected to the plus andminus welding voltages cables 111 (350), 112. The inductors L1, L2 areconfigured such that sufficient power may be drawn from the weldingcables, while not significantly degrading the available power forwelding functions, in particular any high frequency arc ignitionvoltages that may be present on the plus and minus welding voltagecables. Although two inductors are shown, it is possible that only oneinductor or no inductors could be employed. In a single inductor case,the inductor may be disposed between the plus voltage welding cable 111(350) and the supply power circuitry 416, or the minus voltage weldingcable 112 and the supply power circuitry 416. Two inductors may be usedto ensure that even if the welding cables are attached to connector andsensor unit 200 in a reverse way, HF ignition voltage waveforms arestill steered toward torch 115, and not supply power circuitry 416.

Several parameters are taken into account to determine a value forinductors L1 and L2, including:

The power supply requirement for the connector and sensor unit 200 andthe communications unit 300;

Available voltage range at the input (i.e., voltage between the weldingcables);

Output voltage of a voltage regulator of supply power circuitry 416; and

Acceptable amount of damping that can be allowed of the HF ignitionvoltage generated by an ignition (auxiliary) device in the power supply110 (e.g., 10%).

The parameters may be dependent on any one or more of the followinginteractions:

Output power together with minimum input voltage defines the maximumcurrent through the inductance windings;

Minimum voltage in the voltage range together with the required outputvoltage and maximum current through the inductor defines maximumresistance of the inductance windings;

The acceptable damping together with the internal impedance of the HFgenerator of the power source defines the necessary impedance of theinductance;

Material of core and cross sectional area of the inductors define needednumber of winding turns to achieve desired impedance;

Geometry of inductor and number of turns of inductor wire; and

Maximum resistance and length of wire together with material selectionof wire determines the necessary diameter of the wire.

The following is an example in which supply power conditioning circuitry416 is expected to supply 5 W of power to communications unit 300.

Assume the input voltage is 5-120 V between the welding cables, and therequired output voltage from the supply power conditioning circuitry 416is 5 V.

A 10% reduction of HF voltage is acceptable.

For this example, the interaction among the parameters is as follows:

Maximum input current is 5 W/10 V=0.5 A.

Maximum resistance of inductor winding is 5 V/0.5 A=10 ohm

Assuming an impedance of 2 ohms for the internal impedance of the HFgenerator in the power supply 110, the necessary impedance for theinductor is 19 ohms. Since the inductor is symmetrical (two inductors:L1 and L2) the impedance attributed to each is 9.500 ohms. For a HF of 1MHz this relates to an inductor with an inductance value of 1.5 mH.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other values of inductancemay be used, resulting in different amounts of damping of the highfrequency, high voltage waveforms. A range of permissible damping may beon the order of 0% up to 50%.

In a working prototype, inductor material was selected to avoidreduction of permeability due to DC current through the winding.However, less expensive material may also be selected to achieve thedesired function. For the specific material selected, 100 turns wereused for the winding.

With a core having a height of 15 mm, an outer diameter of 40 mm and aninner diameter of 23 mm, the length of 0.13 mm copper wire used was 4.8m.

FIG. 5 depicts a flow chart of plurality of operations that may beperformed by the connector and sensor unit 200 in accordance with anexample embodiment. At 510 the connector and sensor unit is configuredto source power from, respectively, a first (e.g., a plus voltage)welding cable of a welding apparatus and/or a second (e.g., a minusvoltage) welding cable of the welding apparatus. At 512, the connectorand sensor unit is configured to generate a predetermined DC voltagefrom voltage available on the first welding cable of the weldingapparatus and the second welding cable of the welding apparatus. At 514,the connector and sensor unit is configured to sense a current beingsupplied by the first welding cable and/or the second welding cable, andgenerate a corresponding current sense signal. At 516, the connector andsensor unit is configured to sense a voltage between the first weldingcable and the second welding cable, and generate a corresponding voltagesense signal. At 518, the connector and sensor unit is configured tosupply the predetermined DC voltage to a communications unit to powerthe communications unit, or power storage device therein. And at 520,the connector and sensor unit is configured to send at least the currentsense signal and the voltage sense signal to the communications unitwhich is configured to send data indicative of the current sense signaland the voltage sense signal to a remote server.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the operations describedin connection with FIG. 5 could also be performed in a different orderor selectively simultaneously.

The above description is intended by way of example only. Variousmodifications and structural changes may be made therein withoutdeparting from the scope of the concepts described herein and within thescope and range of equivalents of the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus, comprising: a first port configured to be connected to a first welding cable of the welding apparatus; a second port configured to be connected to a second welding cable of the welding apparatus; current sensor circuitry configured to sense a current being supplied by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding current sense signal; voltage sensing circuitry configured to sense a voltage between the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding voltage sense signal; and supply power circuitry configured to generate a predetermined voltage for at least the current sensor circuitry, wherein the supply power circuitry receives power from the first welding cable and the second welding cable via, respectively, a first inductor and a second inductor, and the first inductor and the second inductor are configured to dampen a high frequency arc ignition voltage, generated by the welding apparatus and carried by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, by no more than about 50%.
 2. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein an inductance of the first inductor and the second inductor is about 1.5 mH.
 3. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supply power circuitry is configured to provide the predetermined voltage to a communications unit that is configured to send, to a remote server, signals indicative of the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal.
 4. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a port via which the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal are communicated to a communications unit.
 5. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a processor configured to cause the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal to be communicated to the communications unit.
 6. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, wherein the current sensor circuitry is configured to sense current using a current sensor that encircles a portion of the first welding cable or the second welding cable that is disposed inside the connector and sensor unit.
 7. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a port configured to receive a wire feeder encoder signal.
 8. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 7, further comprising wire feeder encoder signal conditioning circuitry that is configured to receive the wire feeder encoder signal and that is further configured to be powered from the predetermined voltage generated by the supply power circuitry.
 9. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a unique identification number that uniquely identifies the connector and sensor unit.
 10. The connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a processor configured to cause the unique identification number to be sent, along with indications of the current sense signal and the voltage sense signal, to a remote server.
 11. A connector and sensor unit for a welding apparatus, comprising: a first port configured to be connected to a first welding cable of the welding apparatus; a second port configured to be connected to a second welding cable of the welding apparatus; current sensor circuitry configured to sense a current being supplied by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding current sense signal; voltage sensing circuitry configured to sense a voltage between the first welding cable and the second welding cable, and to output a corresponding voltage sense signal; and supply power circuitry configured to generate a predetermined voltage to power a power storage device in an auxiliary device separate and apart from the connector and sensor unit, wherein the supply power circuitry receives power from the first welding cable and the second welding cable via, respectively, a first inductor and a second inductor, and the first inductor and the second inductor are configured to dampen a high frequency arc ignition voltage, generated by the welding apparatus and carried by the first welding cable and the second welding cable, by no more than about 50%. 